What’s up Teacher Fam!
This has hands down been the most hectic start to any school year I can ever remember.
There are so many unknowns, daily changes and tons of questions – I honestly feel like a first year teacher most days, just trying to keep all the balls in the air and my head above water.
As I’m writing this, I’m starting my 3rd week of teaching a Hybrid schedule (1/2 virtual 1/2 face to face).
Below is a brainstorm of ideas that I will update as I come across helpful resources and also get into teaching more this year.
Everyone is in a different situation, so I’ve tried to divide this page up into 3 sections (Virtual, No Equipment Allowed and Equipment Allowed with Social Distancing) hope it’s helpful!
Come to Terms With Things Not Being Ideal
Before we start, I think it’s important to realize that this is a Pandemic, you won’t be able to do the things you used to do. And I’ve had to tell myself that over and over again this year, I can’t plan the entire year out like I normally would, instead I have to be OK with just staying a few days ahead (and that’s REALLY hard for me).
I won’t be able to do many of the elaborate games and activities that I normally would that require a ton of equipment and also force kids to come into close contact with each other all the time – that kills me, because it’s my favorite thing to do and those lessons are the ones the kids enjoy the most, but I just have to come to terms with that this year and give myself some grace in order to be realistic given the circumstances.
My Specific Situation
Just so you know my specific situation, we are doing a hybrid schedule of half face to face and half virtual – so I will be rotating between face to face classes and virtual classes to start the year off. Students have 2 face to face days at school and then 3 virtual days from home, so if I see them face to face this week, I will teach them virtually while they are at home the following week. My days are a mix of virtual and hybrid back and forth which makes it hard to get into a flow, but I’m starting to get used to it… so we’ll probably have a schedule change again soon ? (the ultimate goal of the district is to get back to 5 days a week, but of course this is controversial and everyone has a different opinion, so who knows what will happen…)
Currently our guidelines for equipment is we are allowed to share equipment within a class, but have to sanitize hands before and after and must sanitize all equipment after each class.
We are currently having kids place all equipment on a cart at the end of each lesson and then spraying it down with a disinfectant solution called “Vindicator” either in between classes if we don’t have enough equipment, or at the end of the day if we have enough equipment to go around for the classes that day.
You can check out a few of our “updated procedures in the video below”
- More details on my Home Base Spot system and free printable Number/Letter Signs doc here
Teaching With a Mask
Wearing a mask is necessary right now, but let’s not pretend that anyone loves it, it’s hot, makes it harder to breathe and also makes it harder for kids to hear you.
I did get these face shields (as you see in the video above), which are way easier to teach in, but our district policy is I can’t be within 6 ft of students when wearing one without a mask… so that makes it harder to wear them bc duty calls for me to be near kids all the time (especially the little ones)
I bought a bunch of these Gaiter Masks bc I like the convenience of pulling it down around my neck and never forgetting my mask when I walk out of my office or gym – my favorite sets are these dri-fit material sets, I have 2: This Camo Set and This Variety Pack
I also bought these “Mask Savers” that fit inside of your mask and helps to keep the mask from always getting in your mouth while you’re talking, I also feel like it helps me communicate better and allows kids to hear me more clearly when wearing a mask. I got the large, but wish I had gone with XL bc my nose is gigantic and they are little small for me.
I am so thankful I already had my Wireless Mic setup because it’s a HUGE help this year and allows kids to hear me without yelling across the gym all the time (which you have to do even louder with a mask on)
Virtual PE Lesson Ideas
This one is hands down the hardest teaching format for me, PE wasn’t meant to be taught on a screen and there’s a very limiting factor of not having equipment at home… or not being allowed to use equipment at school.
For a TON of ideas, check out this post on Virtual PE Ideas from the end of last year when schools closed down.
I will cherry pick a few ideas that used myself for the start of this year from the post above:
- Virtual Meet the Teacher
- The first lesson should definitely be spent building relationships and helping the students make a connection with you. One easy way to do that is share some personal things about your life with your students (as I talked about in the teacher tip video below)
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- This year I made a longer video than normal since we were all on computer screens anyway – My Virtual Meet the Teacher video was just a collection of funny home videos from my summer break, you can check it out below if you want.
- FAQ: How do you make your videos:
- For all my videos I use an editing program called Final Cut Pro X (Mac only), although if your starting out I would recommend using iMovie for widescreen or trying out the App Clips for square videos
- After the video I had kids share some things they did over their summer breaks and we talked about how the purpose of PE is to prepare them to live a life full of adventure and possibility. Ultimately, I want my kids to understand that Phys Ed in a nutshell is to prepare them with the Skills, Knowledge and Confidence to go on any adventure they want to for the rest of their life.
- For our first face to face class, we reviewed this concept by playing Adventure Bingo
- Keep it Fun and Engaging
- Using Sound Effects
- One easy thing I’ve been doing to get some laughs and keep things light hearted is using an App Called 100 Buttons and Sounds (Check out the example below for an overview of how I use it in my virtual lessons)
- Using Sound Effects
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- Get Student Feedback by doing Check ins
- I’ve been doing check ins with a site called Mentimeter.com to give my students 2 “Questions of the Day” in order to have some interaction and get feedback from them without wasting too much time muting and unmuting ourselves while we go around and share 20 different 1 minute stories…
- Here’s an example of how I use it (also below)
- I’ve been doing check ins with a site called Mentimeter.com to give my students 2 “Questions of the Day” in order to have some interaction and get feedback from them without wasting too much time muting and unmuting ourselves while we go around and share 20 different 1 minute stories…
- Get Student Feedback by doing Check ins
- Ice Breakers
- Lead your students in some fun icebreakers on your live virtual PE lessons, I really like these 2 ideas from my friend Nick Williamson over at BeWellPlayed.com
- River or the Bank
- Have kids follow along to the commands and attempt to not make any mistakes – I’ve been doing 1-2 levels each week and having the kids count their mistakes and attempt to break their own personal record
- Flip Deck
- A fun idea that works well in a virtual environment, the concept can also be modified for almost any activity or content
- River or the Bank
- Lead your students in some fun icebreakers on your live virtual PE lessons, I really like these 2 ideas from my friend Nick Williamson over at BeWellPlayed.com
- Focus on Fitness
- Teach different exercises and show students how to do circuit training based on their goals
- Exercise Posters and One Page Workouts:
- I try to teach my kids these 25 exercises throughout the year and we sometimes do intervals as warmups
- Use the insane amount of follow the leader workouts on Youtube or use Sworkit to create custom workouts for your kids
- Fitness Testing Unit
- Teach kids how to do Fitness Testing with Self Assessment and do the Pushup and Curlup Test with them online…
- Here’s my Daily Warmup Routine for face to face classes
- I also created a virtual follow along to go with the visual I use for my Face to Face Daily Warmup, so we could keep the routine in our virtual classes, you can check it out below:
- Exercise Posters and One Page Workouts:
- Teach different exercises and show students how to do circuit training based on their goals
- Teach Health
- I plan to integrate some Health Concepts to fill in the gaps, details at the link above for the curriculum I plan on using
- Teach a Modified Gymnastics Unit
- If we stay virtual for a while, I am planning on using all of my follow the leader videos and Animated GIFS to teach an online gymnastics unit. I will of course take out more advanced things like handstands or forward rolls that I wouldn’t want kids doing without live supervision, but most of the travels, balances, jumps and landings can be done on a rug and for the finale I could have kids create a sequence and perform it live on the Google Meet or Zoom session, or if that’s too much pressure, we could just use Flip Grid and upload a sequence once you complete it. (see an example of a balancing lesson that would be easy to do virtually below.
- This is a resource included in our membership, or you can buy it separately on TPT here: Gymnastics Follow the Leader Pack.
- If we stay virtual for a while, I am planning on using all of my follow the leader videos and Animated GIFS to teach an online gymnastics unit. I will of course take out more advanced things like handstands or forward rolls that I wouldn’t want kids doing without live supervision, but most of the travels, balances, jumps and landings can be done on a rug and for the finale I could have kids create a sequence and perform it live on the Google Meet or Zoom session, or if that’s too much pressure, we could just use Flip Grid and upload a sequence once you complete it. (see an example of a balancing lesson that would be easy to do virtually below.
- Teach some Line Dances or plan a Dance Unit
- K-2 Ideas
- 3-5th – Teach some Line Dances or do a creative dance unit
- Teach Juggling
- This is my current plan to kick off the year with my virtual lessons, I’ve always wanted to teach juggling and it seems like a great unit to teach virtually since most kids can make their own equipment and it doesn’t require any space
- You can have kids make a paper ball, plastic bag ball, tape ball, or sock ball (video below)
- I was planning on creating my own GIFS and slides, until I found out Joey Feith has already created an awesome slideshow – So I bought it and plan on using it for my students
- Also for K-2 try juggling tissues, plastics bags or scarves – here’s a great progression with animated GIFS from Eric Turrill on Twitter
You can check out a few clips from what I thought was my last live virtual PE class of the year below… Unfortunately, we’ve been back to virtual instruction quite a few times since then due to spikes in cases and classes getting quarantined…
- Follow Along Videos
- Last but not least, check out the 1,000 choices of follow along videos on youtube for almost every area that you could be interested in (tons of examples on my Virtual PE post here)
- If you want to save some time, you can check out one of our membership resources that we also put on TPT which is a Youtube Follow Along Guide with over 100 video links:
- Virtual Scavenger Hunt
- There are tons of ways to do this and lots of variations online (search “Virtual scavenger hunt” on youtube and you’ll find 100s of videos), it could be a fun way to get kids moving and allow them to show off the items they find in their house as well
- You can practice different locomotor movements while finding the items and also talk about moving in different pathways while trying to find different items in your house (either point to them and come back, or actually find them and bring them back)
- You could do a slideshow if you want to have a self paced class, or just have the kids follow along to a video and pause it whenever you want to have a discussion
- Here’s an example … Here’s another example … Check out Dr. Google or Youtube for tons more variations
- You could do a slideshow if you want to have a self paced class, or just have the kids follow along to a video and pause it whenever you want to have a discussion
- Make Your Own GIFS or Borrow Someone Elses
- We’ve got an expansive library of awesome follow the leader videos and follow along animated GIFS in our membership program (Details here) and also on our TPT page as well.
- If you haven’t seen the site CBHPE.org which is run by the dynamic duo Mark and Becky Foellmer, check it out for a huge library of GIFS and other online resources and tips for Chromebooks and PE.
No Equipment PE Lesson Ideas
First of all, all the ideas above in the “virtual section” can be done in person as well with no equipment required (or at least using home made equipment for each student).
You could also use almost all of the virtual ideas if you have to teach in a classroom environment, which I know many people are doing right now.
Also a few more below:
- Do a “Social Distanced Olympics”
- Rock Paper Scissors Battles
- There are 1,000,000 variations of these, google it or spend 5 minutes researching on twitter to find a good variation that you like, but it normally goes like this: Play against a friend, winner does one thing, loser does another thing, repeat until your so tired you can barely breathe
- Check out the Crazy Cards Challenge
- This is a fun icebreaker that only requires you to print the cards ( you’ll need to modify a few things like, fist bumps and high fives should be “air fives and air bumps” to avoid contact )
- Shadow Tag
- To be honest, I’ve never tried this, but the general idea is you step on someone’s shadow in order to tag them… I guess it would be honors system 🙂
- OPEN Phys Ed: PE Now
- I’ve only skimmed these resources from OPEN, but have heard great feedback from other teachers so check them out and see if they’d be a good fit for you
Social distancing guidelines and what PE will look like is going to be different from school to school, district to district and state to state, but below are a few ideas to get you started.
Take it day by day until you find out more specifically what the situation will look like at your school and be ready to respond to whatever situation arises and do what’s best for kids.
Equipment Allowed, but Socially Distanced Activities
Luckily, this is where I’m at at our school. We can use equipment within a class, but have to sanitize in between and also wash hands or sanitize before and after. We also have to have masks on when in the gym at all times unless we are taking a mask break or water break. The kids can be near each other as long as we have masks on, but in general we try to stay spread out and give each other space during the lessons.
The kids are allowed to take a water bottle break or mask break whenever they need them, I just marked tape spots on the wall every 7 feet and they head over and take a break as needed after making sure there is nobody within 6 ft of them.
My plan is to have a cart (as I illustrated in the orientation video at the beginning of this post) and 2 sets of equipment so that I can sanitize after class and use the 2nd set of equipment for my next class while the other set dries off.
- Adventure Bingo
- This is what we played for our First Week of PE Face to Face this year, we masked up and gave each other space while still learning to introduce ourselves and finding out new things about our classmates, it was great!
- Basketball
- You can make rules to put social distancing in place, or if you don’t want to get into a team game just teach a ball handling unit and focus on individual skills
- Hula Hooping
- This is a classic skill and it’s naturally socially distant – also hoops are easy to spray down after class
- Soccer:
- Teach a soccer unit and modify the rules to have everyone spaced out during gameplay and practice tasks
- Four Square
- This is what I’m starting the year off with for my face to face classes, here’s How I Teach It!
- Jump Rope Unit
- This is great because you can modify to be more individual focus and allow social distancing very easily and ropes can be easily sprayed down between classes
- Gymnastics Unit
- The only hard part about this one is wiping down the mats between each class… but if you could have kids help you or get them doing a follow along video while you wipe down the mats it could work well.
- I’ve also considered, just doing it without the mats and leaving out anything that would be dangerous or painful without a mat
- Play Noodle Dance Tag with a 6 ft Noodle:
- It’s a classic, you’ve gotta try it
- Paddle Skills or Tennis Unit
- Focus on individual skills and then stay on opposite sides of a line or net when moving into partner skills
- Only thing I’m worried about with this one is I don’t want to spray my foam balls with disinfectant, so I might have 4-5 kids per court and have them share a ball to have enough to “quarantine” my foam balls for a couple days … or use another ball that could be sprayed down like a racket ball.
- Frisbee Unit
- If you have some good outdoor space, teaching frisbee and playing some fun frisbee activities could be a great way to go right now, check out the link above for some ideas.
I hope that at least gets your brain started on some fun ways to navigate this year, if you have some more tips that I didn’t mention – leave them in the comment section.
Want More Info? Check Out The Phys Ed Q & A Show
If you want to go a little deeper, click the link below for a deep dive on Teaching during COVID, Marcus and I talk about all things COVID, teaching virtual, teaching hybrid and going back face to face with students.
You can see Part 1 below, click the link below the video for the show notes page and Part 2 and Part 3:
Check Out The Physed Q & A Show
Spartan Athletic Co. says
Thank you so much for sharing . I think regular physical activity can help children and adolescents improve cardiorespiratory fitness, build strong bones and muscles, control weight and reduce the risk of developing health conditions such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes. keep it up .
Marcus Nellems says
We totally agree! These are important skills we try to relate to our students!
Amber says
Thank you for showing different ideas on how to keep the kids engaged. Physical education has been hard to do over the computer and we are on week 11 of virtual teaching. I saw that you had your last class of virtual and you are truly blessed. I really like the video with the river and the bank activity and will probably use it. I also liked the idea of checking in on the kids being anonymous and writing how they feel or what they did. Thanks for sharing.
Marcus Nellems says
You’re welcome Amber! Virtual is hard but having the online resources to help supplement content is a great way to keep students engaged! Let us know if there is anything else we can do to help!
Jillian Belanger says
I was wondering what disinfectant stray would be safe to use in schools for cleaning equipment?
Marcus Nellems says
Hey Jillian,
We use a spray called Vindicator. We are supposed to spray and allow to sit for at least 15 minutes.
If you do a Google search for Vindicator+ spray you can see what we use.
Good Luck hope this helps!
Gabrielle Johnson says
I did a juggling unit for my online students. I showed them how to cut grocery bags to use for juggling. Just cutting off the handles and slitting the sides works wonders. There are so many colors. We have always done scarves at school so all the activities we did with scarves worked with the plastic bags. Who doesn’t have those darn bags! I had them use flipgrid to document. Then, we ask them to recycle.
Marcus Nellems says
Hey Gabrielle,
Love the plastic bag idea, thanks for sharing! Using flipgrid is a great way to see what students are doing!
Thanks for reaching out!
Joel says
Thank you so much for sharing this info of teaching ideas and tips with videos. I teach in WA. We’re (at least districts in my county) are just starting into hybrid learning from all virtual in Oct. Hooray!!! We’ve done some dancing videos and underhand tossing activities for virtual lessons. We’re excited to at least get to see kids face – face. Not quite sure of all the logistics yet though…and like you said, once the admin / people in charge figure something new out things will change again. Life’s an adventure! I appreciate your efforts and wisdom to help us help our kiddos!
Marcus Nellems says
Hey Joel,
Glad you’re getting to see students face to face. Things change constantly for sure! Thank you for the kind words. Glad you’re enjoying the resources!